Long Island Museum. The Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages, colloquially known as the Long Island Museum, is a nine-acre museum located in historic Stony Brook, New York. The museum focuses on serving the Long Island community by preserving and displaying its extensive collection of art, historical artifacts, and carriages; providing robust educational and public programming; and collaborating with a variety of other arts and cultural organizations. Its mission is to inspire people of all ages with an understanding and enjoyment of American art, history, and carriages as expressed through the heritage of Long Island and its diverse communities. The museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1973 for excellence in exhibitions, programs, and collection care. In 2006, the museum joined a small group of institutions nationwide as a Smithsonian Affiliate. The Long Island Museum was founded in 1939 as the Suffolk Museum by local philanthropist Ward Melville, who was an active community and corporate leader. Melville established the museum with the help of his wife, Dorothy Bigelow Melville; prominent naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy; a well-regarded local doctor Winifred Curtis; and insurance broker O.C. Lempfert. The concept for a museum in Stony Brook originated when O.C. Lempfert, avid hunter and taxidermist, displayed his hunting trophies and specimens at friend Archie Rayner's home. He called his collection Suffolk County Museum of Natural History. In 1935, Dr. Winifred Curtis began bringing the neighborhood children to see Mr. Lempfert's collection. When the Rayner home was sold in 1939, Dr. Curtis appealed for help from Mrs. Ward Melville to find a new location for the collection. Persuaded by Mrs. Melville, the collection was moved to an empty building known as the Stone Jug, owned by local pharmacist Charles J. Zimmerlein. The Little Museum in the Jug as it came to be called, was formally incorporated as the Suffolk Museum on December 28, 1939. In 1948, Ward Melville purchased the Stony Brook Hotel and its surrounding property. This allowed for the expansion of the museum and its growing collections that correlated with his goals of renovating Stony Brook into a more historic-looking village. The purchase and subsequent renovations allowed the Little Museum in the Jug to move to a more sustainable, viable space. The expanded space also accommodated Ward Melville's interest in horses and pleasure driving with the construction of the Carriage House. Containing eighty vehicles and related artwork, the Carriage House opened to visitors on July 7, 1951. During the 1950s a number of period buildings were moved to the museum's grounds including the late nineteenth-century Samuel H. West Blacksmith Shop located in Setauket, Long Island. The shop was owned by Samuel H. West and was fully operational until his death in 1938. In 1956, the one room Nassakeag Schoolhouse was acquired and relocated to the museum grounds. The schoolhouse was built by Frederick A. Smith in 1877 and was actively used until 1910. Also in 1956, the Ploch-Williamson Barn was donated and moved to the museum's grounds. Built in 1794 by Jedidiah Williamson, the Ploch-Williamson Barn is a significant structure to local and agricultural history. It originally stood on 30 acres of farmland in Stony Brook. The barn was donated and moved to the museum in 1956. Like the Nassakeag Schoolhouse and the Samuel H. West Blacksmith Shop, museum educators conduct programs throughout the school year for students within and around the barn. After receiving its accreditation by American Alliance of Museums in May 1973, the Board of Trustees approved a new name and concept for the Suffolk Museum. The Museums at Stony Brook was adopted as the new name for the museum which had grown to be recognized by its three distinct collections-art, history, and carriages. The 1970s also brought an expansion of collection housing and exhibition space, with the original space now too small to accommodate the ever-growing collection and needs of the museum. In 1973, this desire led to the completion of the Art Museum, which was designed by Becker & Arelt to be located on the east end of the grounds. Becker & Arelt also designed the renovations of the old D. T. Bayles Lumber Mill across Route 25A as the new facility for the history collection. The renovations would be completed in 1977 thus establishing the History Museum. The 1980s saw a demand for an increase in exhibition/storage space for the growing carriage collection with the Carriage House no longer fit to accommodate the museum's needs. It was demolished in 1985, with the exception of a wing converted to administrative offices and educational space.